Snow flurries possible Friday morning

Raleigh, N.C. — Cold air will blast back in again early Friday, bringing a chance of snow flurries, WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said.

Around the Triangle, temperatures rose into the mid-50s by noon Thursday, after starting in the low 30s with wind chills in the mid-20s.

The warm-up was a one-day wonder, however, Fishel said in his forecast. Increasing clouds overnight were expected to bring a chance of light snow after midnight.

A cold front will drop Friday's high temperatures back into the 40s and usher in winds between 10 and 20 mph. Combined with an upper-level disturbance, that means a small chance of flurries early in the day.

"Early tomorrow, up until about 9 o'clock or so, we could see some light snow flying around," Fishel said.

Light showers and a dusting on the ground are possible.

"This system is similar to the one that produced our flurries on Tuesday," Fishel said.

"It is a bit stronger and (we) have more accessible moisture, so the result could be a longer period of snow for some and perhaps a dusting in some grassy areas and elevated surfaces."

Record lows will be possible on Saturday, making the outlook bitter cold for the Raleigh Christmas parade. The morning will start out in the low 20s and get into the 30s during the parade.

Forecasters say winter in North Carolina could be wetter and colder than the past few seasons despite a Southern outlook for drier and warmer conditions.

A colder, wetter winter ahead

National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Orrock said Thursday that the state will likely see a decrease in global weather patterns that have made past winters warmer and drier.

Orrock said forecasters examined weather records for past years when conditions were similar to the start of this winter. He said that in those years, the temperatures were colder and there was more precipitation.

He said the last active winter was in 2004, when about 2 feet of snow fell in Asheboro.

The National Weather Service on Thursday released its annual national winter weather outlook for December through February.